


Close Call

by GoodJanet



Category: Sabrina (1954)
Genre: Carrying, F/M, Rescue, Suicide Attempt, Unresolved Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-27 21:31:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10817157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoodJanet/pseuds/GoodJanet
Summary: Takes place after Linus rescues Sabrina from her attempted suicide. He gets her to safety, and finds himself feeling very protective of the girl.





	Close Call

Linus sees the smoke billowing from the garages and runs to see what was going on. He waves the smoke and fumes away from his face as he rushes to shut off each rumbling engine. It’s not until he shuts off the last one, coughing and sputtering, that he finds the chauffeur's daughter lying on the ground, fast asleep. 

“Damn,” he mutters.

He quickly gathers her in his arms. God, she weighed little more than a loaf of bread. Her head lolls in the crook of his arm, and he bundles her close and rushes out into the fresh night air.

He makes it as far as the tree by her house when he finally has to put her down, tired from the long trek to the servant’s quarters. He props her up against the trunk and shakes her shoulders.

“Come on, wake up. Sabrina, you have to wake up. Sabrina.”

She doesn’t respond, and Linus gets nervous. If this slip of a thing died on him, he’d never forgive himself. He shakes her harder, and she moans. Well, that was something at least. He grabs her face in one big hand.

“Sabrina, you have to wake up. Your father will be very upset if you don’t.”

She makes a noise like a child who wants only to sleep a few minutes more before going to school.

“Damn it, Sabrina,” Linus mutters. “I didn’t want to do this.”

Linus raises his hand and slaps her hard on her left cheek, and she takes in a great breath of air. Luckily, this is enough to trigger a coughing fit, and Linus starts to worry a little less.

“There. Now you can get that poison out of you.”

“Mmmm, that hurts,” she says.

Her hand weakly rubs at her cheek before she starts coughing again. Linus registers that his pants are soaked through from the dewy grass and mud at the foot of the tree, but he doesn’t care. He’s just glad he won’t have to tell Fairchild that his only daughter killed herself in his garage.

“Alright, let’s get you home, kiddo. Then you can rest all you want.”

He gathers her up in his arms again and starts walking the rest of the way to her home.

“Hurts,” she says, though her speech is muffled against his chest.

“I’m sorry, Sabrina. It won’t happen again.”

“…a kiss,” she says.

He’s not sure how her sentence began, but he’s certain she said something about a kiss.

“What was that?” he asks.

“A prince is supposed to wake a princess with a kiss,” she says, wheezing. "Not a slap."

She doesn’t even open her eyes, and it looks as though it took her a lot of effort to repeat herself. Linus smirks.

“I’m not going to kiss you, Sabrina.”

“’S too bad.”

Linus swallows.

“We’re here now,” Linus says once they’ve reached her porch. “Now try to stand.”

He gently settles her onto her feet, and she wobbles, but remains upright, grasping at her door frame. Linus rings the bell. Luckily her father was out; he’d have the maid put her to bed. An older woman opens the door.

“What’s happened to her?” the woman asks.

“She alright. She fell asleep in the garage. She needs water and rest.”

The maid eyes him suspiciously as she wraps her arm around Sabrina’s waist.

“And why is she covered in mud and grass?”

Linus huffs a laugh.

“Easy. I didn’t take advantage, if that’s what you’re asking. She wanted _me_ to kiss _her_. She’s small, but it’s a long way from mine to yours.”

The maid seems wary, but satisfied for the time being.

“Good night,” Linus says. “See that she gets some rest.”

He turns around to leave when he hears a small voice behind him.

“Good-bye, Linus.”

He doesn't turn around. He keeps facing forward until he hears the front door close. He looks back once, this time with his heart beating against his ribs.


End file.
